Ohio leaders praise summit, urge caution
Gov. JohnKasich WASHINGTON— andSens. Rob PortmanandSherrod Brown reacted with caution Tuesday to the historic summit betweenPresidentDonald Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un, with Kasich warning that “North Korea has a history of misleading the West and backing away from agreements.”
Ohiolawmakersfrombothpolitical parties praised the summit in Singapore, but they also sprinkled their reactions with words such as “skeptical” and remaining “vigilant” when dealing with Pyongyang and its nuclear weapons arsenal.
In particular, Kasich expressed
worries about Trump’s abrupt decision to cancel planned military exercises between the United States and i t s South Korean allies, sayi n g the move “blindsided our principal ally in the region and some of our own military commanders.”
“Americans welcome the fact that President Trump has begun discussionswith” Kim, Kasich said. “But we must remain vigilant.”
Portman, R-Ohio, said he remains “skeptical but hopeful” the summit will “translate into meaningful progress” in convincing Pyongyang to eliminate its nuclear weapons program.
But, Portmansaid, “In the past, however, North Korea has used talks to stall while continuing its nuclear and missile programs, andempty promises cannot buy any more time.”
Brown, D-Ohio, said, “We want these negotiations to succeed” butwarned:“We’ve heard empty promises from the North Koreans before, sowemust continue to hold themaccountablewithtough sanctions untilwe see proof the NorthKoreans are taking real steps to dismantle their nuclearweapons program.”
Warmbier case
Kasich, PortmanandBrown also cited the tragic death of OttoWarmbier ofWyoming, Ohio, who died in Cincinnati last year shortly after being released by North Korea, wherehadbeenheldin prison formore than a year. Portman onTuesdaydescribed theKim regime as “evil.
Trump, in a news conference following his historic meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, said the death of Warmbier was crucial to Tuesday’s talks.
Theparents of the 22-yearold from Cincinnati, who was detained in NorthKorea and died of severe brain damage shortly after he was released one year ago, said: “We appreciate President Trump’s recent comments about our family. We are proud of Otto and miss him. Hopefully something positive cancomefromthis.”
Impact on November election
How important is this for voters in the upcoming midterm elections? Depends on which voter, said Donna Schlagheck, former political science chair at Wright State University.
“TheTrumpbase, they are going to love this. And they are going tolove this because they will willfully choose to be ignorant of the significant details. He looked great. They had a summit. Handshakes were made. History was made,” she said.
However, polls showthat a majorityofAmericassupport Trump’s meeting with Kim following news that Pyongyang had successfully producedaminiaturizednuclear warhead and was considering a plan to fire missiles at Guam.
Schlagheck thinks voters better understoodtheweight of the G-7 summit, held in Canada justbefore the North Korea summit, whereTrump and his advisersmade headlines for lashing out at the leaders of other large industrialized nations and longtime U.S. allies.
“Quebec City probably speaks most to voters. Jobs. Tariffs,” she said.
Tony Hall, a retired longtime congressman fromthe Dayton area, has visited NorthKorea seven timesand used that experience to help free a Dayton-area man, Jeffrey Fowle, whowas jailed in North Korea four years ago for leaving a Bible in a public place.
Hall said at this point, it’s hard to tell what the details of the agreement will be, but he thinks the summit is “a very, very good step.”
“Anytimeyouhaveapeace agreement, there’s nothing bad about that,” Hall said.
Since retiring from Congress in 2002, Hall has focused on hunger issues and said one of his top concerns is that so many North Koreans are starving and in need of assistance.
“There’s been very little information come out about that in the past few years, but a lot of their people are very malnourished. Hopefully this peace agreement willbring about a restoration of food and some humanitarianwork and to restoring a good part of their people to better health,” Hall said.